Report 2023-302 Recommendation 1 Responses

Report 2023-302: Judicial Branch Procurement: Judicial Council of California (Release Date: January 2024)

Recommendation #1 To: Judicial Council of California

To ensure that it can appropriately detect and report potential instances of fraud in its contracting practices, the Judicial Council should do the following when it updates its contracting manual in 2024: include language that is substantially similar to the fraud-reporting language in section 20080 of SAM that pertains to contracting and procurement.

6-Month Agency Response

On May 2, 2024, the Judicial Council's Advisory Committee on Audits and Financial Accountability (Audit Committee) completed the public comment period for the proposed revisions to the contracting manual. At its June 26, 2024, meeting (https://www.courts.ca.gov/auditcommittee.htm), the Audit Committee approved its recommended revisions to the contracting manual. These revisions implement the State Auditor's recommendation. It is expected that the recommended revisions will be presented to the Judicial Council in September 2024, and the revisions to the contracting manual will be effective October 1, 2024.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending

60-Day Agency Response

Judicial Council staff is in the process of developing proposed revisions to the Judicial Branch Contracting Manual. Following review by the Audit Advisory Committee and a public comment period, it is anticipated that the proposed revisions would be presented to the Judicial Council in September 2024, and that the revisions to the contracting manual would be effective October 1, 2024.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2023-302

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.